By Maki
I have no recollection of the events of the evening, M’lud, and plead not guilty.
Legend has it the John Phillips only found out that he had written Me and My Uncle when he started receiving royalty cheques from Judy Collins’ record company. It all came about on a wild ‘Tequila Night’ after a Judy concert in Arizona back at the hotel with Stephen Stills, Neil Young and a few others. They were running a blank tape and John proceeded to write "Me And My Uncle" on the spot. Judy kept the tape, recorded the song, and made sure it was credited to Mr. Phillips. He later said that he remembered the night a little better every time those cheques popped through the letter box.
“There came a man on a stolen horse
And he rode right onto the page”
And right into the Australian national psyche as well, I reckon. Ned Kelly featured heavily this week and Our Sunshine was my favourite of the songs nominated.
And back to the present day with FLC’s reflection on the cult of John Gotti and the wannabe mafiosos elevating the King of New York into some kind of modern day anti establishment rebel.
Eleuterio Sánchez was from a poor background and ended up in prison for stealing two hens to feed his family. He escaped and committed more serious crimes while on the run. He escaped again, and again and became a popular figure of resistance among the more marginalized communities in 70’s Spain. Haze’s rap and José Mercé’s flamenco tones blend perfectly in El Lute, Libre o Muerto.
Paul Bogle led the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865 and was captured and hanged. But he is remembered even to this day as one of the fathers of Jamaican independence and was declared a national hero in 1969. The name of the group The Cimarons a reference to the Caribbean Cimaron people who take their name from the Spanish word Cimarrón, which describes a wild or unbroken horse. Unbroken like the rebels.
Who did that to you? I’ll sort them… Sometimes the outlaw has a stronger sense of justice than the legal system or its servants. Or very often they simply know that nothing will ever be done unless they do it themselves.
Jesse James needs no introduction. Neither do Prefab Sprout. Jesse James Bolero is here on musical merit alone.
Smoking and drinking by age thirteen… We’re on the rocky road early. As one who was doing both by that age, I’m suddenly very impressed at how I’ve turned out. Not quite the Madrilenian Nightmare then! Appalachian Nightmare was my favourite new to me this week. Thanks to Tinny for that.
Some of us are named after outlaws. Makinavaja was a comic book small time crook and one of my favourite things to read when I decided to make a conscious effort to improve my colloquial Spanish when I moved here permanently at the beginning of the nineties. I’ve always had a soft spot for Dogs D’Amour and there was no way Just an English Outlaw wasn’t going to make the list once it had been nominated.
And to end; one of just a handful of songs to be repeat nominated this week. Loreena McKennitt’s tale of The Highwayman. Sublime and quite impossible to follow. Which is why it sits here at the end.
The Armour-Played Antagonist A-List Playlist:
The Grateful Dead – Me and My Uncle (Chris7572)
Paul Kelly – Our Sunshine (Nicko)
Fun Lovin’ Criminals – King of New York (happyclapper)
Haze (feat. José Mercé) – El Lute, Libre o Muerto (pejepeine)
The Cimarons – Paul Bogle (George Boyland)
John Legend – Who Did That to You (swawilg)
Prefab Sprout – Jesse James Bolero (Toffee Boy)
Justin Townes Earle – Appalachian Nightmare (tincanman)
The Dogs D’Amour – Just an English Outlaw (EnglishOutlaw)
Loreena McKennitt – The Highwayman (suzi)
The Bandit, Buccaneer and Brigand B-List Playlist:
Aswad – I A Rebel Soul (severin)
Gregory Isaacs – Slave Master (Nicko)
David Rovics – St Patrick Battalion (Alaricmic)
New Riders of the Purple Sage – Glendale Train (BanazirGalbasi)
Gene Clarke & Carla Olsen – Del Gato (tincanman)
Los Tigres del Norte – Contrabando Y Traición (Seth Miller)
Scritti Politti – Robin Hood (shoegazer)
The Teardrop Explodes – Like Leila Khaled Said (shivsidecar)
Peter Frampton – Breaking All the Rules (Fred Erickson)
Chumbawamba – Fade Away (I Don’t Want To) (Max Visconta Nuclerosea)
Guru’s Wildcard Pick:
Lila Downs - Zapata Se Queda
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: Wanted, dead or alive: songs about outlaws and rebels . The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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